Item: Arhat/Sthavira (Buddhist Elder) - 16 Elders: Pantaka

Pantaka, the Elder (Tibetan: gnas brtan lam bstan, Sanskrit: Sthavira Pantaka): the 13th arhat from the set of 16 great arhats, principal students of the buddha Shakyamuni. (See a comparable image of Pantaka HAR #34884 from the Palace Museum collection).

"In the Heavens of the Thirty-three is the noble elder Pantaka, surrounded by 900 arhats; homage to the One [performing] Dharma explication and holding a book." (Sakya liturgical text).

The Sixteen Great Arhats are generally painted as a set. The full group would include the buddha Shakyamuni, the 16 arhats, the attendant Dharmatala, the patron Hvashang and the Four Guardians of the Directions - Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra and Virudhaka.

Jeff Watt 5-99